In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on my entire ad and marketing strategy for 2026 — but first, we’re doing a real reflection on what actually worked (and what didn’t) in 2025.

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If you’ve ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or like you “don’t have a strategy,” this one’s for you.

I walk you through the mindset that has guided my entire marketing career:
👉 test things
👉 give them time
👉 reassess based on real data — not emotions

We talk about:

• Why I double down on what’s working instead of constantly chasing new strategies
• The truth about timelines (and why expecting instant results is killing your momentum)
• What I learned from launching, evergreen funnels, and podcasting in 2025
• Why low-ticket funnels can be more profitable than free ones (if you do them right)
• How I use ads to bring in new people and organic content to build trust and conversions
• Exactly how I’m outsourcing content in 2026 so I can create more space, ease, and consistency
• My full 2026 marketing ecosystem — ads, email, podcasting, Instagram, Facebook, and what I’m not focusing on
• How I plan promotions all year so I’m only ever selling three things at a time
• Why I see marketing the same way I see self-care: non-negotiable if you want growth

This episode is part strategy, part behind-the-scenes, and part mindset shift — especially if you’ve been telling yourself you “don’t have time” to market your business.

And yes, I also share two ways you can work with me and my team if you want ads off your plate:

• Done-For-You Ads Management for scaling businesses
• Ready, Set, Launch — a brand-new VIP week where we build and launch your ads fast

If you’re serious about growing your business in 2026 — and you want a strategy that’s sustainable, profitable, and actually fits real life — this episode will give you a lot to think about.

This episode feels vulnerable… and a little scary to share.

Today I’m walking you through my big, bold 2026 goals — personal, financial, and business — and exactly how I plan to hit them without burning out, overworking, or losing the life I’ve built.

My word for 2026 is expand.

Not hustle harder.
Not do more.
Expand what’s already working.

In this episode, I share:

• Why I chose expand as my word of the year
• My personal goals around health, energy, travel, and regulation
• The systems I’m using to protect my time and energy
• My $500K revenue goal (and how I reverse-engineered it)
• Exactly how ads, launches, YouTube, and personal brand fit together
• Why focusing on one marketing channel at a time has changed everything
• How I’m planning growth that supports my life — not competes with it

I also break down the math behind my revenue goals, what I can control versus what I can’t, and how confidence, systems, and consistency have allowed my business to more than double year after year.

This isn’t about bragging.
It’s about showing what’s possible when you pair:
✔ Ads that actually work
✔ A clear offer
✔ Real leadership
✔ And a genuine heart for service

If you’re setting goals for 2026 and thinking, “Is this too much?” — this episode is your sign that it’s not.

Let’s do this together.

If you’re a local business owner who wants to grow faster with ads, now is the time to join Hometown Advantage and build a system that works for you all year long.

🔗 https://www.nicoleeldridgemedia.com/hometown

If you’re an online business owner, stick around — I’ve got a new ads offer coming soon that helps you get ads live in as little as 7 days.

And I’d genuinely love to hear this from you:
📩 Send me a DM with your big, scary 2026 goals.

Let’s expand together.

If your local business isn’t growing the way you want it to, there’s a good chance this is the real problem:

Not enough people know you exist.

In this episode, I’m breaking down 3 reasons visibility should be your #1 focus as a local business owner in 2026 — and why most businesses struggle with leads and sales because they try to skip this step entirely.

I share:

• Why visibility is the real growth bottleneck for local businesses
• How consistent visibility creates momentum (and why momentum changes everything)
• Why ads don’t create demand — they convert demand that already exists
• Real client stories showing what happens when businesses go from “invisible” to visible
• Why organic-only strategies are getting harder — and more exhausting
• How Facebook & Instagram ads create sustainable, compounding visibility without working more

If you’ve ever thought:

• “My service is great, but growth feels slow”
• “I don’t want to post all the time”
• “Ads feel complicated or intimidating”
• “I know people need what I offer, but they’re not finding me”

This episode will flip a switch for you.

Visibility isn’t about being louder.
It’s about being seen by the right people, consistently.

And once that happens?
Leads, referrals, reviews, and sales start stacking instead of resetting.

Ready to make visibility work for you in 2026?

🚀 Join Hometown Advantage — my 4-month local ads coaching program where I teach a simple, repeatable framework:

Visibility → Leads → Sales

Inside the program, you get:

• Lifetime access to the Local Ads Course
• Step-by-step ad tutorials + templates
• Copy frameworks + custom GPTs trained on my real strategies
• Weekly group coaching + Slack support
• Unlimited ad reviews & data audits
• Complimentary access to Local Content Club
• Bonus: February Ads Launch Sprint (January members only)

🎉 $500 off if you join by January 19

👉 Join here:
https://www.nicoleeldridgemedia.com/hometown

📩 Questions? Email support@nicoleeldridgemedia.com

📲 Or DM me on Instagram: @nicoleeldridgeads

Visibility comes first.
Everything else gets easier after that.

If you’ve tried Facebook or Instagram ads for your local business and thought, “These just don’t work for me” — this episode is for you.

Today, I’m breaking down 5 proven ways to get your ads to convert into actual local clients (not just clicks, likes, or “interest”).

I’ve worked with 120+ local business owners inside my ads program, plus hundreds more through done-for-you services and strategy sessions. And I can confidently tell you this:
ads do work — but only when a few key pieces are in place.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why consistency matters more than budget
• The ad manager settings that quietly kill conversions (and what to use instead)
• Why clearer, longer copy often converts better than “pretty” creatives
• How retargeting ads turn warm interest into real sales
• The follow-up system that most businesses skip — and pay for later

I’m also sharing real client examples, common mistakes I see every single day, and how small tweaks can drastically improve results without increasing ad spend.

If you want ads that:
✔ Bring in real inquiries
✔ Convert into paying clients
✔ Work in the background while you run your business

This episode will give you clarity fast.

Ready to implement all of this with support?

🚀 Join Hometown Advantage
My 4-month local ads coaching program where you get:

• Step-by-step ad tutorials
• Copy frameworks + examples
• Retargeting strategies
• Automatic lead follow-up systems
• Unlimited ad & data reviews
• Weekly group coaching + Slack support

🎉 January Bonus:

• $500 off (now $1,800 or $450/month x4)
• 4 months of Local Content Club
• Access to our February Ads Launch Sprint

👉 Join here:
https://www.nicoleeldridgemedia.com/hometown

Or comment HOMETOWN on any of my Instagram posts and I’ll send you the link.

Let’s make 2026 the year your ads actually work.

2025 changed everything for my business.

Revenue more than doubled. My audience exploded. My team expanded. And honestly? I grew more this year as a CEO and leader than any year before.

In this episode, I’m breaking down the 8 biggest business lessons I learned in 2025 — the real ones. Not the fluffy, recycled advice. The lessons I had to learn the hard way so you don’t have to.

We’re talking about:

• Why investing more (time and money) actually speeds up growth
• How systems create freedom — not restriction
• Why you can’t outsource leadership (especially with ads)
• How I build trust fast with brand-new audiences
• Why simplicity scales better than complexity
• The real bottleneck holding most businesses back (hint: it’s not strategy)
• Why support and skill-building aren’t optional if you want to grow
• And how to become the leader your business needs next, not just right now

This is a behind-the-scenes look at what actually worked in my business this year — ads, team, systems, energy, and decision-making — with specific examples from my launches, client work, and day-to-day CEO life.

If you’re a local business owner, a marketer, or someone who knows they’re capable of more growth than they’re seeing right now, this one will hit.

Ready to go deeper?

👉 Sign up for the Local Ad Strategy Session:
You’ll learn the exact systems and strategies my most successful clients use — and how to apply them to your own business (or your clients’ businesses).

🔗 https://www.nicoleeldridgemedia.com/local-ads

Or head to my Instagram and comment the word “STRATEGY” on any post and my bot will get you registered.

We’ll also dive deeper into Hometown Advantage, my 4-month local ads coaching program, inside the session.

See you in the next episode 💚

In this episode of the Hometown Advantage Podcast, I’m sharing part three of my 2026 local marketing predictions — and it’s one a lot of local business owners need to hear.

In an AI-saturated world, faceless marketing is no longer converting. Polished graphics, stock photos, generic copy, and AI-written captions might look “professional,” but they’re quietly killing your results.

People trust people. And trust is the real currency behind ads that actually convert into clients.

I break down:

• Why visibility alone doesn’t equal sales
• What’s really happening when your ads look good but don’t convert
• Why real humans in your ads matter more than perfect branding
• How to choose a spokesperson for your business (even if it’s not you)
• How to use video to build familiarity and trust — without overthinking it
• Why AI should support your marketing, not replace you

I also share real client examples, mindset shifts, and practical ways to start showing up more authentically in your ads so you can stand out, build trust faster, and stop getting scrolled past.

If you want to learn exactly what to say in your ads, what to record, and how to create local ads that convert in 2026 — I’m covering all of that inside my free Local Ads Strategy Session.

👉 Register here: www.nicoleeldridgemedia.com/localads

This is for local business owners and marketers who are ready to stop hiding behind graphics and start running ads that actually bring in clients.

In this episode, I’m sharing part two of my 2026 local marketing predictions, and we’re getting very real about why outsourcing your marketing without owning the strategy almost always leads to wasted time, money, and frustration.

I break down what actually happened when I was troubleshooting a Meta ads bug for a client (yes… on Christmas Eve), why no agency, freelancer, or tactic can save your business if you’re not leading the strategy, and how this same mistake shows up for so many local business owners trying to grow.

We’ll talk about:

• Why marketing only works when the business owner takes ownership of the strategy
• The difference between outsourcing execution vs. outsourcing responsibility
• Real client examples of firing agencies, lowering ad costs, and getting better results
• How to think about ads as a skill you build — not a gamble or a guessing game
• Why 2026 will reward local business owners who simplify and lead their marketing

This episode is honest, a little tough-love, and exactly what you need if you’re tired of throwing money at ads and hoping something sticks.

And if you want to learn the local ad strategy I teach — the same one my clients are using to get consistent leads without massive budgets or complicated systems — you’re invited to my free Local Ads Strategy Session.

You can register here:
👉 www.nicoleeldridgemedia.com/localads

Inside the workshop, I’ll walk you through what actually works for local Meta ads right now, how to set them up simply, and how to turn ads into a repeatable system for your business.

If you’re ready to stop outsourcing your growth and start owning it, this episode is for you.

Join the 2026 Local Ad Strategy Session here: www.nicoleeldridgemedia.com/localads

If you’ve ever told yourself “I just need to be more consistent on social media,” this episode is your permission slip to stop believing that.

In this episode of the Hometown Advantage Podcast, I’m breaking down why consistency as we’ve known it is officially dead for local businesses in 2026 — and why that’s actually great news for you.

I’m sharing real client stories, real ad results, and exactly what I’m seeing work right now inside local ad accounts. We’ll talk about why organic posting alone isn’t designed to bring in consistent local clients anymore, how the algorithm has changed, and what local business owners should be focusing on instead.

You’ll learn:

• Why posting more is no longer the answer (and never really was)
• How ads can replace the pressure to “show up every day”
• The simple local ad system that brings in clients without constant content
• How to think about your social media pages as a digital storefront
• Why even $2–$10/day in ads can outperform hours of posting

If you’re a local business owner who’s tired of feeling behind, overwhelmed, or guilty for not being consistent — this episode will completely reframe how you think about marketing going into 2026.

I also share details about my free Local Ad Strategy Session, where I walk through the exact ad campaigns my clients are using to get consistent leads and clients without posting every day.

🎧 Press play if you want a simpler, smarter way to grow your local business with ads.